The Trump administration is taking a high-stakes, transactional approach to its goal of acquiring Greenland with a plan to offer lump-sum payments of up to $100,000 to each Greenland resident to encourage secession from Denmark and alignment with the United States, Reuters reports.
The cash plan is the latest move in President Donald Trump’s push to acquire the semiautonomous territory, which he has described as strategically vital for U.S. national security.
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While Danish and Greenlandic officials have repeatedly said the island is “not for sale,” Reuters reports White House aides are weighing both direct payments and a possible Compact of Free Association (COFA). The U.S. has COFA arrangements with three Pacific island nations: Palau, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia. While they remain independent, the U.S. provides defense and economic support and their militaries operate freely.
Strategic stakes and Greenland’s red lines
European pushback to Trump’s plan for Greenland has intensified, however.
In remarks cited by The Associated Press, Trump suggested a 1951 consent-based defense arrangement that allowed the U.S. to establish a military base on Greenland is insufficient. He told The New York Times that “ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document.”
Concerns have grown in Greenland, Denmark and among NATO members about possible U.S. military action, especially after troops conducted a raid on Venezuela and Trump declared that the U.S. now “runs” the South American country.
Vice President JD Vance told reporters the U.S. “is going to have to do something” if Denmark cannot secure Greenland, noting U.S. missile defense is partly dependent on the island. Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen countered that the 1951 agreement already offers “ample opportunity” for a stronger U.S. presence, if both governments choose.
Greenland’s leaders have rejected U.S. overtures.
“Enough is enough, …” Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote on social media. “No more fantasies about annexation.”
Aaja Chemnitz, who represents Greenland in Denmark’s parliament, said decisions are being discussed “over their heads,” reiterating the principle “Nothing about Greenland, without Greenland.” She said most Greenlanders want greater self-determination, including possible independence, as well as the right to decide their future.
Diplomatic pushback and Capitol Hill skepticism
Politico reports eight European nations joined Denmark in a statement stressing Arctic security must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity, while French President Emmanuel Macron warned against a world governed by the “law of the strongest,” according to the AP.
On Capitol Hill, Danish and Greenlandic envoys have pressed U.S. lawmakers to oppose military moves to seize the island.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told Politico the visitors made clear there is “no willingness” to negotiate a sale. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called the White House’s “obsession” with the island “profoundly troubling.”
What’s next
The dispute now turns to high-level talks in Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet his Danish counterpart next week. He has reportedly told lawmakers the administration intends to purchase rather than take it by force.
The White House has said it is “looking at what a potential purchase would look like,” and has not ruled out military options.
